About This Artwork
Leon Golub
American, 1922–2004
Colossal Figure1961
Lacquer on canvas
266.1 x 200 cm (104 3/4 x 78 3/4 in.)
Ada S. Garrett Prize Fund, 1961.1116
Contemporary Art
Not on Display
A leading cultural and civil rights activist in the United States from the early 1960s until his death in 2004, Leon Golub consistently created works that addressed humanitarian issues. Colossal Figure suggests the tragic heroes of ancient Greece or Rome––cultures that produced idealized images of clarity, beauty, and strength. This monumental modern counterpart, however, is scarred, vulnerable, and massively imperfect.